Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, Newcastle United journalist Liam Kennedy has made a transfer claim involving PIF and Barcelona forward Ousmane Dembele.

The Lowdown: Newcastle make approach...

The Magpies and PIF have been linked with a move for the Barcelona forward over these last few weeks as his contract at the Camp Nou continues to wind down.

As things stand, Dembele could leave the Catalan club as a free agent in 2022 and is free to negotiate pre-contract January moves with a view to signing in the summer.

Fabrizio Romano has even backed Newcastle's interest, saying that an approach has been made, with Kennedy now sharing what he knows in an interview with GIVEMESPORT.

The Latest: Kennedy makes Dembele claim...

Sharing what he's hard from the Saudi side, the journalist believes that a move could well happen and it's the type of 'marquee' transfer that Newcastle would indeed go for.

However, with the arrival of Xavi, Kennedy admitted that the Spaniard's presence at Camp Nou could now throw a spanner in the works, as he explained:

"Dembele is a name that has been mentioned to me. It was mentioned to me probably around a week after the takeover was done.

"I think Dembele is coming, from the noises I’m getting, from the Saudi side. I think that may be the marquee type thing that they might go for.

"I think there were a lot of talks before Xavi came in at Barcelona. I think he seems to, from his noises, rate the player more than the previous manager so I’m not sure how alive that one is.”

The Verdict: Right move?

The 24-year-old is still young and has a degree of sell-on value, while he certainly has quality despite his lack of consistent runs in recent seasons, largely due to recurring injury issues.

Former Manchester United defender Mikael Silvestre even compared him to Cristiano Ronaldo at one stage, with his ex-Barcelona boss Ronald Koeman more recently calling Dembele a 'fantastic player'.

However, while Newcastle could snap him up on a free next summer, the Frenchman's history of hamstring problems could also ring alarm bells for manager Eddie Howe as he seeks to strengthen his squad.

In other news, find out which ‘world-class’ ace NUFC are now ‘most likely’ to sign here!